The House of Representatives has urged the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to study and articulate a regulatory legal framework to integrate artisanal refiners into the formal crude oil production value chain.
This was sequel to the adoption of a motion on the “Need to Reform and Regulate Nigerian Petroleum Production Activities to Integrate Artisanal Refiners in the Production Value Chain,” moved by George Ibezimako Ozodinobi on Thursday.
Ozodinobi noted that it is incumbent to abide by the constitutional dictate to harness the resources of the nation and to promote national prosperity and an efficient, dynamic, and self-reliant economy.
He also noted that lives and revenues have been lost due to government’s inability to recognize, regulate, and control artisanal refining of petroleum products, which is prevalent in the Niger Delta region for decades.
The lawmaker recalled that in 2016, the federal government proposed the integration of artisanal refiners into mainstream operations in the Oil and Gas sector to promote the inclusion of more local content in the industry and advance the use of home-grown technology in the refining of petroleum products in the region.
